Briar
by EternalBliss
Summary: There's a new girl at Meio High School...a fragile rose in desperate need of the sun. But like all roses, you have to suffer her thorns as well.
1. Thorns

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Imadoki or any of it's characters. Yuri Endo, her servants, and Maya Arakawa are mine, however. And no, I don't have any idea's about fixing her up with anyone, either. At least not in the near future.

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Yuri bit her tongue as she tilted her head to the side, studying the canvas before her.

"Hmm..." she mummered as she tilted her head back the other way, dabbing her paint brush in one of the wells on her palette

"Maybe just a bit more right...there." She muttered as she leaned forward and made several more broad strokes with her brush. It was turning out nicely; she was pleased to note as she idly pushed a strand of hair out of her face. She really must say something to Ann Marie. These clips she'd gotten for her really did not suffice in the least. Hearing the door behind her open, she glanced over her shoulder, a slight scowl on her face. Celeste stood in the doorway, telephone in hand.

"Excuse me, Madame, but you have a call." Celeste informed her as Yuri half turned to face her, scowl deepening.

"Celeste. I do not take calls when I am painting. Inform them I shall return their call at a later date." Yuri snapped, gesturing with her paintbrush.

"Yes, Miss. But it is your father. He insisted on speaking with you." Celeste replied as she held the phone out. Her eyes narrowing, Yuri jammed the brush behind her ear as she stalked forward, jerking the receiver from Celeste's hands.

"Hello?!" She barked coolly, scowling as she listened to the response on the other end.

"I'm fine. And you?" she asked after a moment, again lapsing into silence.

"No, I have **not** resigned myself to the idea!...But father! ...What? Already?!...Where did you say?... Your Alma matter?! But you said that place was like...I **am **watching my language! I'm merely repeating what **you** said!...I wouldn't care if the Emperor himself went there! But...but...Fine! I'll go. But I am not pleased!" Yuri spat as she hung up; glaring at the phone as Celeste walked over to retrieve it.

"Your father informed us your uniform will arrive this evening. Your first day is to be tomorrow." Celeste replied as Yuri shot her a withering look, slamming the phone back into her outstretched hand.

"See to it then." Yuri grumbled between her teeth as Celeste bobbed her head and retreated, closing the door as she left.

Yuri stood there before her canvas in silence, the only noise the ticking of the clock sitting on her drawing desk. She glared at her painting through narrow eyes, gritting her teeth.

"Fine. I'll go to **Meio** Highschool. But I won't like it. Ever." She seethed between her teeth as she picked up an open jar of black paint and threw it at the canvas, paint flying everywhere. Breathing heavily, Yuri stared at the painting as globs of paint ran down it, finally grinning.

"It looks better that way anyway. "

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Meio Academy...High School...whatever it was called was huge. When Yuri arrived there early the next morning, she was displeased to note that she evidently wasn't early enough, since there were students milling about outside already.

"Stop the car here. "She commanded Jean Pierre, her driver, soon after they'd driven through the gates, still several yards from the entrance.

"But, Miss! We are not at the entrance yet!" He protested as he glanced at her in the review mirror, his eyes hidden by the sunglasses he wore.

"I don't care! I said to stop here, Jean Pierre! "She snapped, irritable again as she grabbed her bag and threw it over her shoulder.

"Yes, Miss." He replied with a sigh, pulling the car over. Before he could get out, Yuri opened the door, preparing to get out unassisted much to Jean Pierre's horror.

"Miss! I must protest! It is my job to assist..." He began to gush in nervous horror as Yuri put on her sunglasses and got out.

"I'm not incapable, Jean Pierre! I can manage to get out of the car myself. Now, class is over at 3pm sharp. Be here promptly. Good day, Jean Pierre." She told him firmly, slamming the door on her once again exasperated driver, a thin smile on her face as she strolled toward the entrance, ignoring the curious glances from the students she passed. Let them wonder. And with that thought, she grinned snidely, and entered the building.

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Everything at Meio is electronic. Nothing but the best for these spoiled little rich kids. They may sprain something if they ever had to open a door themselves. Yuri found it rather pathetic. But it was the way of the rich, evidently. They'd stuck her in class 1-D, the only freshman class on the second floor, she soon discovered. For as many students as she'd passed looking for the class, the room its self was only semi-full. Glancing around, she eyed the assembled students, her eyes falling on a girl sitting off by herself, nose buried in a book. The perfect target.

"Heh. A loner. " Yuri muttered under her breath as she strolled into the room and headed for the girl's desk. Stopping before it, she planted one hand on her hip, the other lying casually by her side as she waited for the girl to look up. And look up she did, acting a bit flustered.

"Um, yes?" The girl asked, her voice a mere squeak as she lifted one hand to her mouth and began to chew on the edge of one of her fingernails.

"I'm Yuri Endo. I'm new. Would you know where my desk is?" Yuri asked her coolly as she took her sunglasses off and placed them in the pocket on her bag, her movements deliberate.

"Miss Endo! How do you do? Um, your desk...it's over there next to Tanpopo Yamazaki's." the girl replied, nervously pointing towards the other side of the room, Yuri turning to look where she pointed. Her eyes narrowed when she spied the desk covered in graffiti and she cocked her eyebrow as she turned back to stare at the girl.

"What kind of **name** is Tanpopo?!" She said as she eyed the girl still, tapping one long fingernail on the side of her face idly.

"Well, um, Tanpopo means dandelion in Japanese..." The girl replied weakly, her voice trailing off as Yuri shot her an annoyed glance.

"I **know** what it means."

"Yes, sorry! I should have realized! Please excuse me! She's an alternate. From a cram school in, uh...Hokkaido. Most of the class calls her 'weed'..." the girl hurriedly replied, appearing to be under a great deal of anxiety.

"Weed?! And I thought the students here were supposed to be refined. Have **class**." Yuri announced as she made a face.

"I...I'm only telling you what I've heard. I don't do it..." the girl replied in a rush, her eyes wide.

"Naturally. And what is **your** name? "Yuri asked, fingering a stand of her hair.

"Oh! I'm Maya. Maya Arakawa. Nice to meet you. "Maya replied as she half rose, bowing.

"Hmm. Same here, Maya. I think class is going to begin in a minute. Perhaps I'll talk with you later. "Yuri told her as Maya nodded, though she looked rather alarmed over the thought of **that** as well. Yuri moved over to her seat, hanging her bag on the back of the chair before she sat down, leaning back as she crossed her legs beneath the desk. She glanced over at Yamazaki's desk, her eyebrow cocked as she eyed it. Someone had really done a number on it, all right. Poor girl. How could she stand going to school with all these pricks and fakes? It's nothing **she** would ever choose to do.

The bell rang then, the teacher bustling into the room, a short, bald, fat little man.

"Class! Take your seat! Quiet!" he snapped at them as he laid his briefcase on the desk, turning to glance out over the class. His eyes locked on her and he bustled over to where she at, a fake grin on his face. Why he looked like he was nearly groveling. How humiliating. He should have a little self-respect.

"Miss Endo! So nice to have you join us! How is your father? He is well, I hope?" he asked her, fiddling with his hands as he stared at her in eager anticipation.

"I'd imagine so. **I **don't really know. He's in London." Yuri replied with a sniff as she eyed the teacher in annoyance.

"Oh. I, uh, see. Again, welcome to my class. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask." He replied, bowing to her as he hurried back to the front of the class.

"Class! Come to order! We have a new student joining us today, Miss Endo. Miss Endo, perhaps you could tell us a bit about yourself. We don't often accept transfers in the middle of term. "He said, gesturing at Yuri, the students all turning to look at her. Feeling angry, Yuri none the less got to her feet.

"I'm Yuri. And what Sensei was saying in a roundabout way is that **my** **daddy** paid a bundle to get me accepted here at your wonderful little school in the middle of term. Because there's **no better** place on earth evidently. And as you can no doubt tell from my voice, I've spent much of my time abroad. "Yuri announced coldly as she stared at the other kids. They'd better not expect her to say anything else. What was this anyway, kindergarten?!

"Oh! And where did you live while you were abroad? I'm sure the students would all love to know, isn't that right?" the teacher asked them. From the half-hearted response he received, Yuri didn't think they shared his opinion.

"London. Specifically. "Yuri replied, cocking an eyebrow as she dared him to ask anything else. He was denied the opportunity, however, when the door flew open, a girl with short brown hair standing there. She was panting slightly, and Yuri figured it was undoubtedly because she'd had to run up stairs to get there in the first place.

"I'm (pant, pant) so sorry (pant, pant) I'm late! Someone stole my bike..." the girl was saying when the teacher interrupted her, his manner abrupt.

"Yamazaki! Just get in here and take your seat! You're disrupting the entire class!" He snapped at her as the girl smiled at him.

"Ok!" She said, hurrying over to sit next to Yuri. The teacher seemed to have forgot what he'd been doing before that girl, Tanpopo had shown up and he shock his head, muttering to himself as he turned back to his desk and picked a sheet of paper up and glanced at it. Tanpopo glanced over at Yuri and smiled, and Yuri kind of smiled back, if you could honestly call her grimace a smile. It never reached her eyes though. Her smiles never did, but no one ever noticed, anyway.

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Well, what do you think of my brand new fan fic? Compared to my other fics, this one isn't very humorous... but it probably won't stay that way for long. Thanks for reading!!!


	2. Lunch with the Sharks

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Imadoki or any of it's characters. Yuri Endo, her servants, and Maya Arakawa are mine, however. And no, I don't have any idea's about fixing her up with anyone, either. At least not in the near future.

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I can't stand this place." Yuri muttered as she braced her hands on the edge of the sink basin in the girl's restroom, her upper lip curled into a sneer as she stared at herself in the mirror. It hadn't even been a full day yet. And she was already contemplating skipping out and leaving. Using public transportation wouldn't even be that bad. Whatever it took. The sharks were already circling. They must have smelled blood in the water, or something. For crying out loud, they'd basically pounced on her at lunch. Just thinking about it made her skin craw....

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An hour earlier.

Yuri held her lunch tray in her hands, scanning the cafeteria. She spied an empty booth and headed for it, sitting her tray down before she slid onto the seat. She grabbed her bottle of water and glanced down at it as she twisted the cap off, looking up to find 3 girls and 2 guys crowded around her table. She glanced at them in annoyance, though she attempted not to **show** that annoyance. Her attempt probably wasn't working.

" Miss Endo. Welcome to Meio High School. Do you mind if we sit with you?" The leader of the group asked, a guy with thin, silver glasses and light brown hair. They all sat down, apparently not actually asking her, more like warning...

" Well, I suppose not..." Yuri grudgingly replied, like she'd had any choice anyway. Where was that Tanpopo girl when she needed her? No one would have bothered her if she'd sat with her, most likely.

" I'm Minoru Urakami, of the Kyoto Urakami's. I'm sure you've heard of us. My father owns a chain of successful department stores." The guy replied, flashing a dazzling smile at her as Yuri simply stared at him, her face blank, as he glanced at the girl on his left, a short thing with long brown hair pulled back with barrettes.

"I'm Reika Kanamaru. My father is Saitori Yimada." She informed her, like that meant anything.

" Masayo Hiraike. How do you do? My parents own Hiraike Shipping and Receiving International." The girl next to her replied, sniffing slightly as she pushed a strand of her black hair over her shoulder.

" And I'm Yosuke Sato. My father is in charge of production at TV Tokyo." The other guy told her, so far the least arrogant sounding of the group. He might have even been a nice guy, if he'd had better friends.

" I'm Yukari Ohkawa." The other girl replied, acting slightly nervous as her eyes darted from Yuri back to her tray again. Evidently, her parents didn't do anything noteworthy, Yuri thought as she pursed her lips and focused on Urakami. Oh how she'd love to slap that grin right of his face.

" I'm thrilled. You have no idea." Yuri told them dryly, cocking an eyebrow.

They didn't seem to catch her personal barb, so yeah, as she'd thought, they weren't the sharpest knives in the drawer.

" So, Miss Endo. What do your parents do? You said you lived abroad. How interesting." Urakami asked her, fishing for information. Ah. So that's what they wanted. To see how much kissing up she was worth.

" Well, my mother's dead, so she doesn't do much of anything." Yuri replied spitefully as she grabbed her water, taking a sip. She was pleased to note she'd thrown them a little off kilter with her flippant remark. It was probably the most gratifying moment she'd had all day. Too bad none of them seemed to be easily manipulated, like that Maya girl. She needed a lackey. And from all appearances so far, Maya was her best bet.

" But if you're wondering how much of a kiss-up you need to be, my father is the Diplomat to Great Britain. So I think I have you all beaten by those class standards. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm feeling nauseous. Egotistical fakes do that to me." Yuri replied as she got to her feet and picked up her tray, walking off as they all stared at her in speechless shock, apparently not used to being blown off so bluntly. She dumped her try in the trash receptacle and walked past the booth where Tanpopo Yamazaki and a Ganguro Girl sat, laughing as they talked over lunch. She glanced at them in shock. People actually...laughed at this school?! Real laughs?! Unreal!

Yuri shook her head, as she muttered to herself, "Bet you don't see that here everyday. What's a Ganguro girl doing in a place like Meio anyway?"

" I'm living in a nightmare." She added under her breath as she walked out the door, heading for the bathrooms. She really was feeling nauseous.

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" That was the new girl I was telling you about. Yuri...something." Tanpopo told Arisa after the topic of their conversation walked past them, leaving a table-full of shocked preps in her wake.

"Oh. She seems to be like a lot of the other students here. Except a lot more vocal." Arisa replied, laughing as she grinned.

" I think she looks like she could use a friend! We should ask her to join the gardening committee with us!" Tanpopo said, her eyes shining.

" She'll just blow you off. She's self-centered." Arisa replied with a flippant shrug as Tanpopo frowned.

" Well...I won't really know until I ask her. And it's not like she'd be the first person here to blow me off!"

" No, you've got that right. And heaven help anyone who Tanpopo Yamazaki decides needs a friend." Arisa replied good-naturedly as she grinned.

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And that's why Yuri was still hiding out there in the Girls room an hour later, late for computer class or something, most likely. Not that she cared. She was more than proficient in computer science. Her father **was** a diplomat. She did have **some** reputation she felt driven to uphold. What truly amazed her was that no one had came to look for her. Did the teachers at this place truly bow **so** much to these spoiled little rich kids that they allowed them to do as they pleased? How pathetic. This place needed to be shock up. And she knew just what to do, too.

The door to the restroom creaked open than, and Maya stuck her head in, smiling faintly when she saw her. How refreshing. A real smile for a change. Pity though, that she would just end up using the girl. Yuri didn't dare try to honestly befriend anyone here.

" Hey! Here you are! I've been looking for you since lunch. I wanted to sit with you, but you were gone before I got through the line." Maya said as she stepped into the room, the door falling shut behind her.

" So sorry. But the sharks were out and looking to feed." Yuri replied vaguely as Maya looked confused for a second.

" Oh! The sharks! You mean Urakami and his group. That's funny! I've never heard them so accurately described before! I heard how you blew them off. Your popularity just shot up 50 then." Maya replied with a laugh.

" Oh happy day. Kill me now." Yuri replied under her breath, scowling.

" What?" Maya asked, looking confused again.

" Never mind. What class do we have next?" Yuri replied with a dismissive wave of her hand, strolling from the restroom, Maya close on her heels.

" Physical Education. We're playing soccer today." Maya replied, looking ill at ease.

Yuri stopped as a calculating grin flickered across her face, glancing at Maya out of the corner of her eye.

" Oh, are we? You look upset. Aren't you good at sports?" Yuri asked, a tiny grin on her face.

" Uh...not particularly."

" Well, not to worry. I lived overseas in England. Soccer is nothing new to me. Stick with me, Maya. We'll rattle the tree and see what falls out, now won't we?" Yuri replied with a malicious grin as she resumed walking. Oh, this could get fun. And rather interesting. She was glad she hadn't skipped out after all.

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Well, here's chapter 2, finally finished!!! And to think it was all ready to go for the past couple of weeks except for the tiny bit with Arisa and Tanpopo...their segment held up the whole story, lol. Enjoy! And thanks for all the reviews!! I 'm glad you guys like it! See ya next time!!


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